


Bound By Time

by hanyoYokai



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, F/M, Human Inuyasha, Protective InuYasha (InuYasha), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:22:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanyoYokai/pseuds/hanyoYokai





	1. Endless night

 

Inuyasha shoved his back violently against the Bone-Eater's Well as he looked at the moon through his claws, irritation growing on his face as he focused on the outline of the quick fading crescent shape, his ears twitching with frustration. He was still fuming from what had happened earlier that day. 

“Damn that Kagome…who does she think she is, thinking she can go back home whenever she wants without running it by me first.” He muttered to himself as he started to fidget his leg up and down. How could she just go off and leave him on a day such as this? Didn’t she know that he didn’t like her going anywhere when the new moon was so close? But he guessed it was okay, she was safe in her own world. However, that didn’t stop demons before going to her time like that crazy bitch Yura of the hair, the Mistress Centipede and that noh mask. He would rather have her by his side so that he could at least see that she wasn’t in any danger. But no, she had to go fight this demon called exams. He always wondered why she wouldn’t let him just take care of that weak demon. 

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“Inuyasha I need to go home and study! You’re not helping with your hovering so much around me! God! You are suffocating!” Kagome yelled over her shoulder as she started climbing into the Well, shoving her huge backpack into it first. 

“The hell you are Kagome! We need to find the rest of the damn jewel shards!“ Inuyasha yelled as he hopped out of the tree line, heading towards her to grab her before she could make it inside the well. 

“SIT BOY!!” Kagome smirked as she heard him crash into the dirt, kicking the rest of her bag down the well. There was no way that she was going to let him stop her. No matter how many times she told Inuyasha how important school was to her, he still didn’t get it. 

“Don’t even think about coming to get me! I’ll be back in three to four day! See ya!” Inuyasha growled in pain from the impact as he heard her voice echo down the well until it faded, hinting that she made it to her time before he could get back at her for what she had just done to him. 

“KAGOME!!!” She had just messed with the wrong Dog Demon. 

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Inuyasha ears twitched rapidly from the memory, his leg continuing to fidget at 100mps until he finally had enough and stood up quickly, jumping down the well angrily.

“Well fuck you Kagome! I’m gonna make you apologized for this!” 

~

He felt a lightning bolt shoot through his body as he passed through the Well into Kagome’s time causing him to fall fast onto his back, hitting his head hard against the cold dirt. Inuyasha opened his eyes, looking up at the top of the Well, his vision blurry as he thought he saw daylight, shining light through the shrine.

“The fuck was that all about?” He muttered to himself as he rubbed the back of his head. He sat up, feeling his back yelling at him from the sudden movement. He crouched over, trying to stretch the muscle, causing his hair to fall forward. Inuyasha’s eyes grew wide as he saw his once long silver hair now pitch-black against his arms.

“W-What?” He brought the lock of hair towards his face, examining it. His eyes wandered to his fingers then stopped, his once long and deadly claws were now shortened to useless nubs. He clenched his fingers around the lock of hair, then pushed it away from him. Standing up slowly, his back and head protesting his movements, he looked over his body. He hadn’t even felt his body change, just that strange feeling shooting through him when he was going through the well. But it wasn’t the normal feeling he would get when he changed; he felt more like something shocked him. 

“T-this can’t be happening, this is impossible” His voice came out as a whisper. Shock took over his body as he looked around. It was daytime. How was it possible that he was in his human form? He left before the new moon was complete. Kagome's world was a different time. Is it possible that the new moon could still affect him even in the new world? That is impossible.

Inuyasha looked up the Well, there was no way he was going to be able to jump out of this damn thing; luckily Kagome had a ladder in the Well when she would come back to her world. He felt the rope rubbed against his grip with each grasp he took until he finally made it to the top of the Well. He took in a sharp breath, he was right. The morning was just breaking in Kagome’s time. But how was that possible? He only turned human during the new moon. He always thought that when it was nighttime in his time that it was nighttime in her time too. No, it was! He was sure of it. So why was it daytime here? And what was that weird feeling that shot through his body, as he was crossing over time? He looked back at the Well, fear closing around his heart. If he could pass the Well as a hanyō would the Well reject him now that he was a human. He stood at the edge of the Well, peering down the darkness. 

“Shit…There is only one way to find out” He jumped in, instead of being met with space he was met with the cold dirt. He looked back up; it was still the inside of the shrine. 

“I-I can’t get back…I’m stuck in Kagome’s time.” His eyes widened with panic as he looked to the ground, clenching his hand, causing scratch marks in the dirt.

~

Inuyasha slid open the door to the shrine. He lifted his hand to his eyes trying to block out the sun as it strained his now brown eyes. He waited for his eyes to adjust as he took a step out, it was quite but he couldn’t tell now that his super hearing was gone. It almost seems pleasant. He remembered when he used to visit Kagome how noisy those metal demons would be. 

“Meowwww ~~” He looked down to see Kagome’s fat feline companion sitting at his feet, his head cocked to the side; looking at him confused. He seemed to recognize Inuyasha’s sent but didn’t recognize his features. He reached down and grabbed the feline holding it away from him. 

“Okay Cat, time to talk, Where is Kagome?” The feline just answered him with a bored meow and look. Annoyed, Inuyasha decides to have some fun with this feline, as he started to pull on its paw until he got a well-deserved scratch. 

“Ahh! Why you little shit“ Inuyasha let go of it, bring his hand to his face to look at the scratch. 

“He doesn’t really like his paws to be messed with. I’m sorry if he caused you any harm. He's usually a pretty laid back cat.” Inuyasha looked to the female’s voice to see Ms. Higurashi, Kagome’s mother watching him from the doorway of her home. 

“Is there anything I can help you wit-?” Ms. Higurashi smile dropped to confusion as she took in the young man’s features. He looked exactly like the dog boy that her daughter would sometimes bring back with her on her travels but this young man had pitch-black hair instead of the silver hair and no dog-ears. He was wearing the same outfit and the beaded necklace as the dog boy would wear too. Could this be his descendant that was born in Kagome’s time? Well, that would explain why he has black hair but it doesn’t answer that he was wearing the same clothes as him. But it wasn’t until she heard his voice that she knew for sure that this was Kagome’s Inuyasha. 

“Hey, you’re Kagome’s mom” Inuyasha whispered as he slides his hands inside his suikan, panic growing in his face as he realized that the woman coming up to him is Kagome’s mother. Only a few people knew of Inuyasha’s human form. What would she think? Would she become frightened because he looked so different than his hanyō form? Or would she prefer this because he doesn’t look like a monster… She seemed to never mind him as a hanyō before but what if she was just being nice, she was always so nice to him and didn’t seem to mind him for what he was, a monster. Damn these human feelings making him feel weak. Why should he care about what she thought of him, he didn’t care what others did but why did he care so much about what Kagome’s mother thought about him… isn’t it obvious stupid…it's Kagome’s mother that you're talking about here. 

“Is that you Inuyasha dear, what happened to your ears?” Ms. Higurashi walked up to him placing her hands on top of his head, feeling into his hair trying to see if the dog-ears were just tucked under some hair. 

“I’m not sure what’s really going on, I was coming to get Kagome but when I got here I looked like this and for some reason the Well won’t allow me to go back to my time.” Inuyasha looked back at the shrine, ignoring Ms. Higurashi as she started touching his black hair. 

“You can’t go back to your time? Oh dear, why don’t you come in? I will make you some breakfast and we can talk about what has happened. I’m afraid that Kagome has already headed to school and won’t be home until later.” Ms. Higurashi smiled as she hooked her arm around his, pulling him towards the door, patting his arm.

~

Inuyasha revealed more than he would like about how he changes during the new moon to Ms. Higurashi while they ate breakfast. Damn these human feelings. It was just so easy to talk to her and she never had any judgment in her eyes. She didn’t push him to speak either. She would wait for him to start talking again when he was having trouble expressing himself. She would have made a great Miko in his time. 

“I wouldn’t worry too much about trying to get back to your time, things happen for a reason and I think there is a reason why you must be human this time. I’m not entirely sure as of what, but I know that you will know the answer when the time is right.” Inuyasha studied her face after her words. She was very relaxed, taking a sip out of her tea with a hint of a smile on her lips, as she truly believed in her words. Maybe she was right. Maybe this all happened for a reason, for him to find something he couldn’t in his hanyō form.

Inuyasha snapped out of his train of thought as he heard Ms. Higurashi stand up, collecting the dishes and putting them in the sink. His eyes followed her until she turned around and smiled at him.

“Since it sounds that you might be here for a while, how about we go shop for some new clothes for you. It could get really boring around the shrine when there isn’t anything to do. Plus maybe you and Kagome could go around town after school.” Her smile was contagious, making Inuyasha blush as he thought about her last comment about going around town with Kagome. He shook his head, irritated about how red his face must be. Damn these human emotions. 

“W-what is wrong with the clothes I have on right now? Why do I need to get new ones?” He picked up his sleeves to see if they were really dirty or something, any hint for why he would need new clothes. He heard a giggle escape Ms. Higurashi’s lips as she watched him. 

“Oh no dear, there is nothing wrong with your clothes. But I think it would be fun for you to get some clothes from our time.” Her smile only grew wider at the thought about putting him in clothes that her husband would wear for her when they used to go on dates at their age. He looked at her nervously as she watched her grab her wallet and shoes, what’s she up to?

“Come Inuyasha, it will be fun!” She was trying to hold in a giggle when she heard him mutter “Fun for you maybe.” 

~

They were walking around downtown Tokyo, just window-shopping. He wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to be looking for, everything looked so strange and constrictive. He looked at passing couples as they stared at his strange clothing, super long hair and necklace. At least right now he didn’t have to worry about people looking at his ears that Kagome made him cover up every time he came to visit her. If someone were to see his ears she would always tell him that he was a thing called a “Cosplayer”. He still wasn’t sure what the hell that was but it seemed to be a good enough answer for the humans in her time. He looked up at the sun; it hadn’t even been up for two hours yet. It was so strange looking at the sun in his human form. It looked so dull, not as bright as it would if he was a hanyō. He let out a deep sigh, how long was he going to be a human in Kagome’s time. Nothing was making sense, would he turn back into a hanyō when it turns dark here. His eyes widen with panic as another thought crossed his mind. Would he be stuck here as a human until the next new moon?! That would mean he would be stuck here for almost a month. That is if it even worked. What would he do if it didn’t? Could he use the jewel shards like Kagome could to pass the well or will it reject him too? Would he just stick around here while Kagome went back without him to collect the rest of the jewels? No! There was no way that he would allow her to go back there by herself, not without him! Who would protect her? Sango and Miroku could but they couldn’t always be there for her like he could, they definitely couldn’t get to her as fast as he could. He felt like he was about to have a full-blown panic attack until Ms. Higurashi’s voice pulled him out of his panic state. 

“We should go in this shop dear, I’m sure we can find something for you here that you and Kagome would like.” Ms. Higurashi’s gave a sly smile as she entered the shop, a smile that Inuyasha didn’t miss, making his face turn red, this woman is up to something, he just knew it but he didn’t know what. He followed her reluctantly into the store, his eyes set on her until his eyes caught sight of a dark blue hat. He wasn’t sure why he was drawn to it, he never liked hats; always pushing his poor dog-ears to his head, But something about it drew it to him. 

“Oh do you like this one dear? Would you like for me to get it for you? I think it would go nicely with some of the shirts I got for you.” His eyes watched her smile then followed her hands as she placed the hat in the basket that she was carrying, filled with at least seven shirts, hair ties, socks, two pairs of shoes, one pair of sandals and slippers for the shrine, a dark brown over the shoulder looking pack thing and some strange looking stretchy cloth? His eyes widen as he saw all that stuff. How could she already get all this stuff? They haven’t even been in this place for even five minutes! 

“Is this really all for me? Why the hell do I need so much crap?” Ms. Higurashi just smiled at his clear uneasiness of someone buying him things and placed her hand on his left cheek, like a mother would do for her child who was uncomfortable in crowded places. This gentle crest comforted him and confused him at the same time because he didn’t understand why it comforted him so much. Fuck these human feelings…He hasn’t felt this way since he was a child since his mother was around. She would do something similar when the people from the village would talk about them behind their backs and judge them because of what he was and how she could have made a beast like him. Inuyasha unconsciously placed his hand over hers that was touching his cheek, he was so lost in the memory he hadn’t even realized that he was staring at her until she giggled and rubbed his cheek, breaking him from his trance as she spoke. 

“Now dear, how about we go find some Jeans for you to wear.” She turned, heading to the table with stacks of blue fabric. He watched her, his eyebrow arched. 

“What are Jeans?” His question started a giggle fest in Ms. Higurashi as she made her way to the table picking up a pair and unfolding it for him. He looked between his nubakama and the Jeans, and then pulled on his nubakama’s loose fabric. Shocked spreading across his face as he looked at the tight material. How the hell was he going to fit into that thing? Did it even have enough material to cover him? Or was it going to kill him from constriction like that nasty Centipede bitch was trying to do to him and Kagome when they first met? 

Ms. Higurashi continued to laugh at his shocked face as she grabbed a couple of pants ranging from dark blue, black and regular blue. She hooked her arm around his again, pulling him to the dressing room. Inuyasha looked at her confused, not sure what this little room was for. When he peeked inside all he saw was a large mirror, a weird looking seat that was connected to the wall and strange looking metal bars. 

“What am I suppose to do in here?” Inuyasha question as he looked at Ms. Higurashi confused from her sweet smile. Man could this woman smile. She handed him a pile of clothes that consist of one white shirt, a pair of black Jeans, and one pair of black and white shoes called “Converse”, along with that dark blue hat that he liked for some reason. 

“Change into these dear and I’ll go pay for them. Just call me if you need any help dear and I’ll come.” Inuyasha felt his face go red from embarrassment from the thought of asking Kagome’s mother help with getting dress. He knew how to change into clothes, how hard can these be?

Ms. Higurashi waited patiently by the door, just smiling as she heard Inuyasha cuss up a storm inside the dressing room. He had been in there for about fifteen minutes trying to put on the clothes she had given him. She heard the door open, she turns to see an almost shirtless annoyed Inuyasha with his face beet red as he looked to the ground, he had one arm through the short sleeve, his head through the collar of the shirt, and his Jeans unbutton at his waist. Two of the dressing consultants were blushing as they looked at him trying to decide which one of them would go assist the handsome man. But it was short lived as Ms. Higurashi gave them a polite smile and blocked him from their view. Both their faces turn to embarrassment from being caught staring at the man by the older woman and made themselves busy, touching the clothes closest to them and trying to ignore the blush growing on their faces. 

“What’s the matter, dear? Are you having trouble? I remember when Sōta was little he would always have trouble with the button too.” She smiled as she looked at him he scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes to stare at the wall, embarrassment, and irritation growing on his face. 

“We don’t have buttons in my time.” He muttered, making sure to not look at her as she buttoned them for him. How embarrassing, he couldn’t even button a button. He was able to figure out the zipper, simple enough, but for some reason, he couldn’t get that button through that poor excuse of a hole. He was glad that she didn’t laugh at him for not getting it and didn’t make him ask her for help, she just knew. There she stood, smiling at him with her motherly smile. He blushed more, why was she always so patient with him? Was he sure that this was Kagome’s mother? Because patience was one thing Kagome wasn’t with him sometimes. Ms. Higurashi helped him put his other arm through the short sleeve, pulling the rest of the shirt over his torso. Then, turning him around helped untuck his necklace and hair from the shirt, letting her fingers run through it. She wondered if he would let her braid it sometime. She smiled at the thought of putting cute bows in his hair like she would do when Kagome was a child. She turned him back around to face her; she gave him a once over, noticing his cheeks getting red with all the attention she was giving him. She was quite proud of herself; she seemed to have gotten his sizing correct with how well the clothes looked on him, they weren’t too baggy or too tight, just right for his body type. Her smile dropped a bit as she remembered that she forgot to put the hat on him, she picked it up from the ground and place it on his head like she would when she had to cover his cute dog-ears, but it seemed to have thrown off his look, so she ended it up turning it around, having the visor in the back. Some of his bangs fell through the hole from the cap, giving him a cute high school boy look. It was perfect! Kagome was going to die when she sees how her mother had dressed her cute dog boy.


	2. Mothers

Inuyasha’s face was growing redder with every step he took on the way home to the shrine with Ms. Higurashi’s arm hooked with his. He felt like the new clothes were just drawing more attention to him. He noticed it the first time when they were in the shop; the women there were staring at him after he changed, their faces red as they watched him bow to the sales clerk after Ms. Higurashi bowed, copying her like a child would do to their mother. He could feel his cheeks getting hot as he felt their eyes on him, whispering amongst themselves. He needed a distraction from his clear uneasiness, so once he saw Ms. Higurashi grab the bags off the counter he stopped her, taking them, stating that he would carry them for her as they walk back to the shrine. This was a mistake because this simple gesture only seemed to make the women squeak and giggle at him. Another time was when Ms. Higurashi took him out to eat lunch at a local ramen joint that day. Their server kept looking at him funny and would stop talking, almost like in a trance every time he would make eye contact with her. He started becoming confused with this behavior and would look to Ms. Higurashi for help trying to understand what was happening. But she would just sit there smiling, looking at the young server as she started to get flustered with Inuyasha’s stare. Ms. Higurashi giggled, finally getting the servers attention; the poor girls face red with embarrassment from being unprofessional. Later on, he noticed that the server was watching him eat his ramen, she was leaning against the counter, her cheek held a hint of red as it rested on her hand, smiling at him like she was in a trance. Inuyasha was starting to get uneasy with the stare; his face became red as he looked to Ms. Higurashi, begging with his eyes for any hint for why this girl was staring at him like she wanted to eat him. But all he got from Ms. Higurashi was a light giggle as she continued to eat. 

He scratched his head to the memory; embarrassment and irritation growing on his face as he heard girls giggling as they walked past them. He turned his head back to look over his shoulder to the girls only to see them looking at him, with smiles on their blushing faces. They were whispering to each other and one of the girls pointed at where his and Ms. Higurashi’s arms looped together. He could hear the word “gentlemen” slip off one of their lips. He was unfamiliar with this word but the way the girls were looking at him he wasn’t sure if they were making fun of him or not. What was this word? Was it a bad word like half-breed? He wasn’t really getting that dread feeling he would get when people called him that.

“Hey…what’s a gentleman?” The words slipped from Inuyasha’s lips as a sad whisper. 

The sound reminded him of a very old memory of his mother when he asked her a similar question. He was just a pup when he was trying to play the Kemari game with the villagers only to be shunned. They threw the ball, letting him chase it, letting him believe that they wanted to play with him, only to leave him alone, with the word “half-breed” slipping from their lips. This word, he wasn’t sure what it meant. But something deep down told him it wasn’t good. He remembered running to his mother, confused. 

“Mother… what’s a half-breed?” He remembers seeing tears run down her face from the question. But she kept her smile, hugging him, trying to hide her tears from him so that he wouldn’t see her sadness. That’s right, he remembers. His mother… she was crying--crying for him, she knew what it meant, what his life would be like. 

He looked to Ms. Higurashi to see if she had the same sadness in her eyes like his mother but only saw her watching him with a sweet smile on her lips. This caused him to blush as she again showered him with attention. She looked up to the sky with a finger tapping her lower lip as she tried to think of the best way to explain the word to him. This was something he has seen before, it was a similar thing that Kagome would do when she was thinking of the easiest way to explain something to him. This caused a small smile to form on his lips, so this is where she gets it. 

“Well you see dear, the word gentleman means what it sounds like. It’s a man that is respectful and considerate of those around him. Acts politely. Treats women with respect, like walking them home. Just like you have been doing my dear.” She tightened her arm around his and rested her head against his shoulder for a moment as her smile grew. She felt his arm tense up from the sudden contact and giggled, lifting her head to see a now flustered Inuyasha; he tried to distract himself by looking around but she could see the blush creeping on his cheeks, she patted her hand on his shoulder, as she laughed harder. 

“W-what’s so funny!?” Inuyasha asked as he could feel his face starting to get hot. He wasn’t used to someone giving him so much attention, let alone someone holding onto his arm like this. But in a strange way it felt nice, he wondered if he would be having similar walks like this with his mother if she were still around. He looked at Ms. Higurashi, wondering if his mother would act like this. From what he could remember she was a very nice woman. She had sacrificed everything for him and his father and yet he never saw an ounce of regret in her eyes, only love.

“Oh nothing dear” She was able to calm her giggles but her smile stayed wide. She looked at Inuyasha’s face; he blushed easily, just like her husband did. She remembered how she used to tease him about when he was embarrassed or wanted to tell her something corny, his cheeks always gave him away. She remembered the one-day that she couldn’t read him as easily as she usually could. He was very serious and had brought her to the sacred tree. This was one of the many times that he made her blush, as he confessed all his love for her and asked for her hand in marriage. Ms. Higurashi smile grew wider at the memory. 

“Keh!” Inuyasha watched her smile grow as he brought his hand to his necklace, rolling the beads between his thumb and finger, trying to get rid of the blush on his face as much as he could. He caught a glimpse of his black hair as it felled forward, reminding him that he was still human. He had forgotten. How long has it been now? Four hours? Five? He brought the lock of hair to his face, getting lost in thought. He still remembered the first memory from when he changed into a human. 

He was asleep in his mother’s embrace; until a strange feeling crept through his body woke him. He wasn’t sure what it was. When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. He rubbed his eyes with his little fist as he sat up, looking around the room. For some reason it looked so dark. Was it always this dark? He remembered that he could see better than his mother during the night. But maybe this was just an extra dark night. He looked to the window and saw that there was no moonlight, which had to explain why it seemed so dark in their room. As he laid back down he noticed that his mother’s hair had seemed to grow longer during the night since he was laying on it. He lifted his little body, trying not to pull her hair as he was going to push it from under him but the hair ended up moving with him. This caused him to freeze; he moved his body again, causing the hair to move too. He took a lock of the hair in his little hand and pulled it gently to not hurt his mother but he was the one that felt the slight pain against his head. His eyes widen, he brought the hair to his face, running his hand against the lock to the roots to find it end at the side of his head. His fingers ended up brushing against something on the side of his head that spooked him. He froze again and then brought his hand to the strange thing against his head. He ran his tiny fingers against it, tracing the shell of the flexible object. It felt familiar to him but completely foreign at the same time. His hands unconsciously reached to the top of his head, trying to find his canine ears, only to find nothing but hair. His eyes widen with panic, as he was about to turn around to tell his mother. But his body tensed as he felt a pair of arms encircled him, pulling him back. He felt a warm body against him and a quiet voice whispering into his neck. 

“Don’t be frighten my dearest.” It was his mother; she had awoken to his movements to see him messing with his hair. This time it seemed different than the rest. She felt like he was more frightened than curious like he was when he was a younger pup. She realized that he mustn’t have remembered the change before. 

“Mother, what happened to my hair and ears?” He turned around in her embrace to look at her face, only to see a sweet smile on her lips. She placed her hand on his cheek, rubbing it with her thumb as she placed a kiss on his forehead. This calmed him a great deal, causing him to smile from his mother’s affection. He leaned into her touched as she whispered against his hair.

“There is no need to be frightened my dearest, this occurs every new moon. You become a human for a night then return to your old self when dawn breaks.” She lifted her head from his to look at his now black hair and dark brown eyes. She ran her fingers through his long hair as she felt a ping of sadness as she missed those golden eyes and silver hair he shared with his father, her beloved. Oh, how she loved those eyes. She always felt like his father lived on within his eyes, always watching her with curiosity like his father did. 

She remembered when she was hiding around the castle grounds; she was hiding from her father who wanted her to meet another prince. She had enough princes visit her that day and her patience was running thin. She just wanted some time alone, just to enjoy nature and all its beauty that it brought with it. She had stolen some of her servant’s clothing, changing into them so that she could be in plain sight but no one would give her a second glance. If she had stayed in her royal robes she would have been found too fast for her liking. She had bumped into Takemaru after she changed into her servant’s clothing, forcing her to drop her basket as he noticed it was her right away.

“Lady Izayoi, what are you doing in those clothes?” He sighed, she was doing it again; this wasn’t the first time that he had caught her trying to disguise herself as a servant so that no one would bother as she explored around. 

“Takemaru, I need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone that you have seen me. Please, I just need some air; father has been inviting princes to the castle left and right asking for my hand in marriage. But I just want some alone time to think. Please Takemaru, I’m begging you.” She was putting her beautiful long hair in a messy braid, trying to make herself look more like a servant than a princess as she spoke to Takemaru. 

“Okay Lady Izayoi, but the moment your father orders me to get you I can not refuse him.” He sighed as he picked up the basket for her, handing it to her once she was done with her braid. 

“Oh thank you Takemaru! I promise I won’t be too long.” She gave him a polite bow and rush down the hall out to the castle’s grounds before she could bump into anyone else that knew her face. 

Izayoi picked apples and herbs along her way through the high garden. She loved how large and private the garden was. She could be out her for hours before someone could find her; always having panic on their faces as they thought they lost the princess. She giggled at the thought. She was quite the troublemaker princess wasn’t she? Always causing her poor servants to stress out when she would disappear once their eyes were off her, only to find her doing unprincess things like grounding up herbs to make medicine or sticking her feet in the water of the koi pond instead of practicing a traditional dance or playing a musical instrument. She remembered when she was a child and an elder servant that was teaching her to write and read would tell her over and over again that a woman has no way of independence through life. When she is young, she must obey her father; when she is married, she must obey her husband; when she is widowed, she must obey her son. 

Izayoi puffed her cheeks in annoyance at the memory as she continued to walk through the garden until something caught her eye. She noticed a young man with long silver hair pulled back in a high ponytail sitting on a branch of one of their apple trees, watching her with curious eyes. She stared at him, trying to make out his features the best she could from where she was. She noticed that he had on armor that ran down both his arms and across his chest, he also had a long furry cloth draped over his back. She decided that she stared at the young stranger long enough, giving him a silent polite bow and went back to picking apples and herbs nearby. She could still feel his eyes on her as she made her way past him to the other trees so that she could continue to pick more apples. She kept glancing to the side with every noise she heard, refusing to move her head, not to give away that she was still very aware of his presence in the garden. She wasn’t sure what to make of him; she couldn’t really get a good look at him or know what he is. But she felt like she was in no danger in his presence so why make a big deal about it. 

This thought brought back another memory of the elder servant lecturing her about how she can’t go say hello to every soul that walks close to the castle’s grounds. That she needs to be on her guard at all-time because she was a princess and some people would take advantage of that. She huffed; she didn’t have to worry about that because at this moment she looked far from a princess. Annoyed by the continuous nagging in her memory she grabbed some herbs without realizing it had thorns, cutting into her index finger. 

“Ow, what was that?” Izayoi muttered to herself as she dropped the herb and looked at her finger, seeing the blood peek out. She sat back on her knees as she placed her finger in her mouth, trying to stop the bleeding. She thought back to the elder servant again, she had told Izayoi over and over to let the servants pick the herbs so that she wouldn’t get hurt, that her father would be furious if she had any scars on her hands. She pulled her finger out of her mouth, looking at the blood peek out again, lost in thought until a figure walked in front of her. She looked up to see golden eyes looking back at her. It was that young man that was sitting in the tree watching her. He was close enough to her that she could see all his features, from the curious golden eyes to jagged purple-blue stripes on both sides of his cheeks. 

“Oh, it’s you.” she looked at him, so this man wasn’t human. That alone should have frightened her but it didn’t. She didn’t feel any fear as she watched him; instead, she could feel her face becoming hot from how close his face was to hers. 

“Heh, how did you cut yourself?” He smiled as he pulled her finger to his lips, licking the blood away. Izayoi jerked a bit from his touch; his deep raspy voice ringing in her ears wasn’t helping her get rid of the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

“Too bad Myōga isn’t around, this would make his day.” He muttered to himself as he reached behind her and pulled her white ribbon from her hair, allowing her once braided hair to flow free. He licked her finger once more before using the ribbon has a bandaged, wrapping it around her finger. Izayoi just looked at the strange man, shocked by his nonchalant attitude. He made her feel like they known each other for years, how is it that this man, who is clearly not human could make her feel so calm. Once he caught her staring at him she smiled, which seemed to confuse him a bit, he wasn’t used to humans smiling at him, they usually run in the opposite direction once they see his eyes, but this woman. She was different. 

“Lady Izayoi! Lady Izayoi! Where are you?” She turned her head to look behind her as she heard Takemaru calling her from the other side of the garden. Once she looked back the stranger was gone. Was he really there? She looked down to her bandaged finger then back up to the tree he was sitting in earlier, a smile forming on her lips. For some reason, she felt like this wasn’t the last time she would see her golden eye stranger. 

“A human…is that what you are mother?” Inuyasha’s voice brought her back to reality. He reached his tiny hand to her face, touching her cheek, looking at her like it was the first time as he studied her features. He felt a strong desire to look at every part of her face. He never realized that they were different. To him, she was his mother, not a human nor a demon, just her, his mother. She said that he became a human…so what was he if not a human… was he not her son if they were not the same? He traced his fingers over her ear; he brought his other hand up to the side of his face, feeling the similar thing. That’s why it felt familiar to him because he remembered messing with her ears when she would mess with his. 

“Yes, my dearest I’m a human and so are you, but you are also part demon my love.” Inuyasha looked at his mother, confused. So he was human but then not human? She noticed his confusion on his face and pulled him into a tight embraced. 

“It will be okay my dearest, I know you feel confused now but you will understand everything one day.” She whispered to him. But she wouldn’t be around for him to tell her that he understood now…

“Inuyasha dear.” Ms. Higurashi’s voice ripped him out of the dark place he was about to go with that memory and thanked her for that. His human emotions were so foreign to him that he wouldn’t be sure how to get out of it himself.

“Yeah?” Inuyasha looked towards the smiling woman looking up at him with her eyes filled with so much motherly love, man he wasn’t sure he had ever seen this woman not smile. 

“It will be okay my dear, I know you feel confused now but you will understand everything one day.” Inuyasha felt his heart stop, his whole body tense up as he stopped walking, causing her to stop, his eyes widened as he stared at Ms. Higurashi. He felt a pain in his chest at her words. How was it possible? It couldn’t have been a coincidence, could it? Before his mind could comprehend what he was doing, he dropped the bags on the ground and pulled Ms. Higurashi in a tight embraced. This startled her for a moment, then she placed one hand on the back of his head, pulling him into her more as her other hand rubbed up and down his back, trying to soothe him as best as she could; like a mother would do to her crying child. This only pushed Inuyasha over the edge more as he felt his body start to shake as he tried to fight off the tears. Man, fuck these human emotions.


	3. Hōjō

Kagome put her hair in a messy ponytail as she left the locker room, putting her earbuds in, listing to her secret playlist of American bands that she has grown to like. If any of her friends heard them they would think she was some sort of delinquent, but she didn’t mind. She liked the songs because they mostly reminded her of Inuyasha. The thought made her blushed as she walked out to the courtyard, deciding to lie under the tree that remaindered her of the Goshinboku at her shrine. 

“I wonder how he is doing…” she sighed out as she put her hand behind her head, looking up at the sky through the leaves. She reached out her free hand to the sky; the sun staring back at her reminded her of a pair of amber orbs that she would find herself getting lost in from time to time. She closed her eyes as she dropped her hand on her stomach, letting the music take over her mind as she tapped her finger against her chest to the beat, but those amber orbs remained. 

♪ You make me feel invincible  
Earthquake powerful  
Just like a tidal wave  
You make me brave  
You're my titanium  
Fight song raising up  
Like the roar of victory in a stadium  
Who can touch me cause I'm  
(I'm made of fire)  
Who can stop me tonight  
(I'm hard wired)  
You make me feel invincible  
I feel I feel it  
Invincible   
I feel I feel it  
Invincible ♫

She opened her eyes slowly as she listened carefully to the lyrics blasting into her ears, each line triggering her mind with memories of when Inuyasha had brought out the best in her. He always believed in her and made her feel stronger than she thought she was. Something about him always made her brave, like nothing could touch her when he was around. She moved her fingers from her chest to her neck as she remembered the curse that the dark Priestess Tsubaki and her Shikigami serpent had put on her, she could still remember the pain. She twitched her finger against her neck; she remembered that she tried to force her to murder Inuyasha with her arrow just like how Kikyō did 50 years ago; Naraku must have been pulling the strings, to know that kind of detail. She remembered that Tsubaki couldn’t even bother killing her herself, sending that damn serpent to do it for her. Kagome wasn’t going to have any of that, being murdered by a snake. She lost all her patience; being compared to Kikyō over and over again, that she didn’t live up to be her reincarnation, that she was weak. She could care less about not being as good as Kikyō but the last thing she was, was weak. Kagome clenched her hand into a fist as she thought back. “You bit me by the well, you won’t get me again. No chance. This time, victory is mine!” In that moment she forced all her spiritual powers into her bow, that bitch was going to get what was coming to her as she swung her bow as hard as she could against the serpent, sending that snake and the curse back at Tsubaki, forcing it to enter into her eye. 

She remembered another time when she let her arrow fly without hesitation into Kaguya’s mirror; believing it would shatter it, but only to have it sent flying back towards Inuyasha. She felt her other finger twitch unconsciously behind her neck towards the middle of her shoulders at the memory. She smiled a sad small smile as she brushed her finger against the invisible scar. “WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? WHY DIDN’T YOU STAY AWAY!?” Inuyasha was furious at her but she didn’t care, she didn’t hesitate; she would trade her life for Inuyasha’s again if it meant that he would live. When Inuyasha was forced to turn into his Yōkai form from the darkness; when he didn’t recognize anyone, even himself. She felt that was when she was the bravest. She brought her other hand up to her face, looking at her palm. Shippō’s pleas still echoed in her ears; “Kagome get away from him! You’ll be killed!” He sounded so scared for her life when she crushed her body against Inuyasha’s, disregarding if he would kill her or not. She just wanted him back to his old self. Back to the Inuyasha that she loved… Her hand jerked at her thoughts as she brought it to her lips. 

She pulled her hand from behind her head and ran her fingers against her left arm at the memory, feeling the raised skin under the fabric, tracing her fingers over the five crescent scars down her arm. It broke her heart to see him like that, knowing that he didn’t recognize who she was. She was trying to think of anything that would save him, even confessing her love for him, anything to bring him back to her. She turned to her side, a blush creeping on her cheeks at the memory as she looked at the roots of the tree. She knew that Inuyasha was too out of his mind to hear her confession but that didn’t make it any less true. She reached out to the root until she saw the wind dance with the grass, causing it to tickle her fingers. She sniffed the air as she let her hand drop in the grass; she could smell the wet earth off in the distance. Looks like we might be in for some rain she thought, closing her eyes as she laid there. 

“Kagome?” 

Inuyasha… 

His name echoed in her mind as she opened her eyes slowly, rolling over onto her back, her hand covering her eyes as she gave them time to adjust. She pulled out her earbuds, removing her hand from her face to see Hōjō standing next to her. She stared up at him for a bit, confused as she tried to figure out what he was doing here. How did he find her? She was pretty far out from the building into the courtyard; he must have been determined to find her. 

“Oh Hōjō it’s just you.” She whispered out, a bit of sadness lingering on her lips. Of course, it wouldn’t be Inuyasha…He was probably still mad at her; man, could that guy hold a grudge.

“Is everything okay, I was worried when I didn’t see you in class? What are you doing all the way out here?” Kagome watched as Hōjō looked around the woods, a concerned look on his face. What was he worried about? That she was with someone else? Who was she kidding; her grandpa told people she had so many strange illnesses that he was probably worried that her arthritis kicked in and couldn’t get up, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

“Just thought I would get some fresh air, you know since I’ve been stuck in my house so much due to being sick all the time.” Kagome smiled up at him, trying to hold back a laugh that was threating to break free as she laced her fingers together, letting them rest on her stomach.

“Here, let me help you up.” He smiled down at her, a light blush on his cheeks as he held his hand out to her. She accepted his hand, letting herself be pulled as she dusted off the dirt and grass that got stuck to her ponytail and uniform. 

“Kagome, I have something for you. However, I was in such a rushed to find you before you went home that I forgot it in the classroom. Do you mind coming with me so I can give it to you?” Hōjō put his hand on the back of his head, the blush on his cheeks growing darker. Kagome turned her head to the side, confused, he had a gift for her? Her whole body locked up as she thought about it, her eye twitching; oh god, she hoped it wasn’t any strange medicine/healing items he had become accustomed to giving her ever since her grandpa had started telling people strange lies. Open your eyes people does she look sick to you?

“That sweet of you. But really, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Kagome raised up her hand, putting on one of her best smiles that she could muster as her eye twitched. He was so sweet, always looking out for her wellbeing but he just gave her the strangest gifts and it was embarrassing enough that he thought she was sick all the time. 

“Nonsense, I think you will really like it.” He gave her a sweet smile. They walked in silence; it was a bit awkward as they got closer to the school. Kagome just kept her hands folded in front of her lap as she looked to the ground. Why did this feel so awkward? It wasn’t the first time she had been alone with Hōjō, hell, she even went on a date with the guy in the beginning of last year, though it was more of her friend’s idea; she was just dragged into it. Now that she thought about it, she ditched him on that date without so much as a proper goodbye. Why did she leave?

Inuyasha.

Kagome stopped walking, her eyes widen as she looked at the back of Hōjō’s head. That’s right, she left in the middle of their date because she was worried sick about Inuyasha, she was scared that he had died from his wounds that Sesshōmaru had inflicted on him and needed to see him, to see that he was alive. She felt a blush grow on her cheeks as she tightened her grasp on her hand. Did Inuyasha mean that much to her so early on? When did he craw into her heart like this, to the point that going on a date with the hottest guy in school meant nothing to her? Even now, in this moment, where another girl would die to be in her place and all she could think about was Inuyasha. That isn’t very fair to Hōjō, maybe she should tell him up front that she wasn’t interested in him, but then again, this is Hōjō, he might just be a nice person and that would be embarrassing for both of them if she thought he was being romantic towards her. She sighed out; man, this was troublesome. 

“I heard there is a really hot guy standing around the front gate! Let's go see!” The voice snapped Kagome out of her train of thought; she jerked her head up, her eyes followed a girl running up to a group of girls. They gather closer together, giggling as they spoke more about the stranger at the gate. 

“Oh? I heard that he has quite the temper on him. I think he might be an American. Or at least biracial!” Kagome felt a pulse shoot through her body at the word. It echoed in her head, it was the same word that her friend Eri used when she asked her if Inuyasha was half Japanese and half American. 

“Biracial?” Kagome whispered out as she unconsciously walked up to one of the girls, Hōjō following behind her. Her heart was racing, not because she was scared, but because she was…excited. 

Could it really be? Temper…Biracial…

“Um, excuse me, what color hair does he have?” The girls looked at each other, trying to figure out which one of them had that information. Kagome needed to know, please say his hair was white or a strange color. Anything to indicate that it could be Inuyasha. That he wasn’t mad at her anymore and he was looking for her. But wait, if it were really him, then why would he be waiting for her there? He was usually able to find her easily. 

“I heard some girls saying that he has black hair.” One of them finally spoke up, a large smile spreading on her lips with a light blush on her cheeks. Kagome felt her body deflate, her heart sink, and maybe that was because it wasn’t him. It was too good to be true, of course, he was still mad at her. There was no way it was him. It seemed to be just some short-tempered high school student that was being a punk.

“Is it someone that you know Kagome?” Hōjō placed his hand on her shoulder, a concerned look on his face as he looked at her, leaning to the side a bit to get a better look at her face. Kagome looked up to him, giving him a small smile as she shook her head. 

Inuyasha… could he really be that mad…

“N-no, I just thought it was someone else. But it doesn’t matter now, hahaha.” Kagome gave him another one of her fake smiles as she straightened her back, however, her smile dropped as her eyes caught the nervous faces in the group of girls that had seemed to have forgotten all about the handsome stranger at the gate and were gazing at Hōjō, all their cheeks burnt red with a deep blush. She looked up at Hōjō who was looking back her, a blush on his cheeks. Was she like that too? Did she act that way around Hōjō in the beginning?

-

Kagome trailed slowly behind Hōjō towards the school entrance as he spoke about health and life, however, she wasn’t really listening, she was too deep in thought to really comprehend what he was saying. Those girls, they seemed pretty disappointed that Hōjō couldn’t stay longer to talk to them because he had to give something important to her. She sighed out; he really didn’t have to get her anything. She kind of wished that he stayed behind and talked to them, to be honest. 

“Hōjō I-” His name slipped off her lips as she stared at the back of his head until he turned around suddenly, cutting her off. Kagome was taken aback a bit, for once Hōjō didn’t look shy, he looked determined. 

“Kagome. Is there something bothering you? You know you can come to me for anything, I mean we ar-” Hōjō’s face got flustered the moment his eyes locked with Kagome’s, all his determination was kicked to the side and he became a blushing mess as he put one of his hands behind his head. 

“You’re a great friend Hōjō.” Kagome interrupted him. She couldn’t let this go on; he will just end up hurt in the end, like how she was. She wasn’t sure where she stands on her feelings at the moment, but she did know that she was being unfair to Hōjō. She was doing the exact same thing to him that Inuyasha did to her with Kikyō. Her eyes widen as she bit the inside of her cheek at the thought. She gave herself a bitter smile, her eyes becoming sad; how could she say that, man, has she really became such a terrible person… 

“Kagome –“ Hōjō started, a confused look on his face. 

“Anyway! We should hurry before the rain comes down on us. Come on Hōjō!” She gave him her best smile as she ran up to the school entrance; she needed to change the subject as quickly as possible. 

“Okay, Kagome just wait there while I go grab it real quick.” Hōjō gave her a sweet smile and a wave as he called back to her as he started towards the stairs. She nodded as she stared at him, waving back. 

“Hōjō, I’m sorry…” She whispered to no one as she watched him run up the stairs. She turned around, walking out the doors into the courtyard as quickly as she could without drawing too much attention to herself; luckily for her, it seemed like the stranger had gotten everyone’s attention since there were so little students left in the building. She needed to get home as fast as she could before she made a fool of herself here. She let out a deep sigh, there she was again, running from her problems; she just needed some time to think. She will try to make it up to him and finally tell him her feelings, so at least he knew where they stood. It was only fair. 

She pulled out her headphones from the pocket in her skirt, shoving them in her ears. She needed a distraction; she needed anything to stop herself from thinking about him so much…about...

Inuyasha. 

She was pretty deep in the woods of the courtyard when she noticed that even through the thick trees, the wind was starting to pick up as she felt her ponytail whip her back. It was dark, the storm clouds were closing in on her, all she could hear was the leaves dancing and her own heart humming in her chest. It wasn’t until she made it into a clearing that she felt like everything finally went silent. She took in a deep breath, it felt like all her worries were fading away as she watched the leaves fall from the branches as the wind carried them away; she reached out for one of them, letting it sink into her palm. Her eyes were transfixed as she watched the leaves fall to the earth, it reminded her of how pieces of Inuyasha’s robe of the fire rat were floating down between them after the mirror cracked in Kaguya’s castle. 

“Inuyasha you want to stay with me, don’t you…?” Kagome whispered out the memory to herself as she ran her fingers down her arm again, feeling the scars as she gazed up to the leaves, the wind blowing peacefully. She closed her eyes; she could still feel his arms around her when he embraced her after the darkness left his heart. It was so gentle but at the same time, it seemed that it would have destroyed him if he let her go. She dropped her hand, along with her head as she stared at the dirt. Her body jerked a bit, her head rising as she heard footsteps approach her. She sighed out, looking back up to the leaves. She looked slightly over her shoulder to see just the outline of a figure standing behind her. The one person…the one person that she really wanted…She turned around, her heart heavy as she saw that…

Inuyasha.

 

“Kagome.”

 

Wasn’t there.


	4. Strange world

Inuyasha’s eyes slowly opened as he heard the wind rattling against the window, he was lying on his side, his hand next to his face twitched as he saw the strains of black hair under it. He stared at it, his vision still a bit blurry from sleep. That’s right, he was still human. He remember that Ms. Higurashi told him to go lie down for a bit after they got home form shopping since he was so upset. He stretched his hand out against the soft pink bedding, feeling the stiff joint give a satisfying pop. Pink… he thought to himself as he rolled over on to his back, rubbing his face with his hand. The room seemed a bit too dark for midday, he looked at the window, the trees were whipping back and forth and the clouds were starting to get dark. Rain was coming. 

“PINK!” Inuyasha gasped out as he shot up quickly, looking around, a blush staining his cheeks as it hit him. This was Kagome’s bed! He had fallen asleep in HER bed. He pulled the pillow up to his nose, taking a deep breath. No wonder he felled asleep so fast, even though he didn’t have his super smell, Kagome’s scent was still strong, filling his body with a calm feeling. It was the first time that day that he felt completely composed, he wasn’t worried about being human, the new moon, and the possibility of not getting back to his time. Just here, in this moment with Kagome’s scent. He nuzzled his face into the pillow more. She always had this type of power over him, making him feel calm in a mist of panic and she wasn’t even here. 

“Inuyasha, you here? Mom said-” Sōta yelled out as he slammed the door open, scaring Inuyasha, causing him to chunked the pillow across the room. Inuyasha jumped off the bed quickly, panting as he felt the blush grow on his face, trying to act as normal as possible.

“Woah! Inuyasha! Your hair is black and you're wearing normal clothes! What happened to you?” He ran over to him, trying to take in his features as he circled him like a vulture. Inuyasha released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as he relaxed. Good, it seems like he didn’t get caught being a weirdo in Kagome’s room. He looked at the boy, it’s been a while since he was last here and now that he thought about it he never really looked at him before. You could definitely tell that he was Kagome’s brother; they both share the same smile as their mother. 

Sōta’s face was in awe as Inuyasha told his story, how this was a normal thing for him back in his time during the new moon but never during the day, but he was an hanyō when he jumped in the well but came out the other end as a human and it was day, not night like it was back in his time. 

“Mom said that you looked a bit different today! That’s an understatement! Sis is going to totally freak when she sees you!” Inuyasha’s body tensed at the statement as they walked down the stairs. 

“Shit! I didn’t think about that…” Inuyasha muttered to himself as he ran both his hands through his hair; panic filling his eyes. That’s right, Kagome didn’t know he was here, let alone a human on top of that! What was he suppose to tell her? That he might be stuck here forever so she better get used to it? Would she be mad at him? It wasn’t like he changed into a human on purpose. But then she will know that he came after her and rub it in his face that he needed her, his left eye twitched at the thought. 

“Inuyasha dear, how was your nap?” Ms. Higurashi voice startled him a bit until he realized whom he was talking to, the blush returning to his face with a vengeance as the memory flooded his mind. He had embraced her in the middle of the street after he got overwhelmed with the memory of his mother. God, she had seen him at his lowest, but there she was, smiling at him sweetly. He nodded at her question, averting his eyes as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“Part-timer, come help me repair some stuff in the shed before this storm hits.” Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to see Kagome’s grandfather, he had become accustomed to the old man calling him part-timer ever since he tried working at the shrine when he broke Kagome’s iron cart (bike). 

“Oh dear father, do you think this storm is going to be bad?” Ms. Higurashi asked as she looked out the window, the wind was already picking up more so than it did this morning. 

“Don’t worry, I will protect this family from anything to come.” The old man stated with a matter of fact attitude. This caused Inuyasha to chuckle at his determination, he was quite impressed with his spirit but they wouldn’t have to worry because Inuyasha was here too if things became too much for the old man. 

Inuyasha carried the wood for him as they walked to the shed, the wind blowing his hair in his face made it difficult for him to see what was in front of him. He cursed to himself as he tried to blow the hair out of his face as much as he could so that he could see at least something. But they made it to the shed where he climbed on the latter, hamming the wood against any possible leaks that could ruin the heirlooms. Once they were done they returned to the house, when they finally closed the door Inuyasha’s hair was a mess, hair tangled in his face. 

“Oh dear, Sōta love, can you please bring me a brush.” Ms. Higurashi giggled as she saw Inuyasha and his hair, motioning for him to take a seat on the ground in front of her. He obeyed her reluctantly as he sat down in front of her, pushing his back against her legs. He jerked a bit when he felt her fingers run through his hair, and then relaxed into her touch after a moment. 

“Is this one good mom?” Sōta returned with a large brush in his hands, handing it to his mother with his question. She nodded, giving him a sweet smile.

“This is perfect love. Inuyasha dear, would you like me to pull your hair back until the wind dies down?” She gently grabbed Inuyasha’s hair in chunks as she ran the brush through it, surprisingly the tangles gave the brush no resistance at all, and they just fell away. It took her no time at all to brush through all his hair, if only everyone hair could be this easy she thought. 

“Sure.” Inuyasha answered nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders, he was too lost in the feeling of the brush going through his hair. He hasn’t had anyone brush his hair like this since his mother when he was a child. Ms. Higurashi smiled as she scooped his long black hair with her hands, starting the motion at his forehead and slowly moving her hands back as she scooped all the hair across the length that her hands were traveling back towards her, making sure to leave the two thick locks of hair by his face alone. Once she had scooped and collected all his hair, she pulled his hair through the two elastic bands that she bought him earlier, as if she were to tie a simple ponytail. She then passed the elastic bands again, however, this time, she passed them only through half the distance of the end of his hair; she repeated this until she got all of his hair into a loose and messy man-bun.

“There, we are all done, now you won’t have to worry about all that hair going in your face.” She patted his back, he turned his head over his shoulder so he could look at her, she had a big prideful smile on her lips. He couldn’t help but give her a small smile back as he stood up and went to look in the mirror by the front door. It was strange looking at himself, it was the first time he had seen himself in the new clothing and now even his hair was different. The only thing reminding him of his world was the Beads of Subjugation that Kaede cursed on him. The new hairstyle gave the illusion that it was short but not really since it all balled towards the top back of his head. He moved his head from side to side, feeling the weight of his hair shift with the movement; it seemed sturdy enough. He felt a strange feeling grow in his chest, as he looked more at the stranger in the mirror. Is this what he would look like if he was born in Kagome’s time? If he were, would he have ever met Kagome? He clenched his fist at the thought, he wondered how their first meeting would be like if it was in this time instead of the past, and he was a normal human like her and not a hanyō. Would she…

The wind raddled against the window with a vengeance, freeing him from his mind as he was brought back to reality. He turned to look at Ms. Higurashi, his eyes widen a bit, it was the first time that he has seen her with a genuinely worried look on her face as she stared out the window. She felt his eyes on her and caught his, giving him a small smile as she started walking towards him.

“Inuyasha would you be a dear and walked Kagome home since the storm is getting close? It’s just that I’m afraid that some people drive reckless during bad weather” Ms. Higurashi asked as she handed him an umbrella. Inuyasha looked at the stick confused, cocking his head to the side but took it regardless; Kagome must know how to use this thing. She turned Inuyasha around as she started putting an over coat that she called a jacket on him just in case it rains and because it was starting to get colder outside since the sun wasn’t so high anymore.

“Drive?” Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to Ms. Higurashi as she helped him put his arms through the sleeves of the jacket, confused by the word. She caught his eyes and saw his confusion, a smile spreading on her lips as she tried her best to explain what it was. 

“Oh you know cars, they drove past us when we were walking home earlier. There are people inside of them that drive them. However, sometimes during bad weather people tend to lose control of them.” She went over to the coffee table and picked up a magazine, flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She held up the book to Inuyasha’s eyes, pointing at the car on the page. He eyed the object on the page suspiciously, resting his finger on his lower lip as he narrowed his eyes. 

“You mean those Iron demons? Man, your world is pretty dangerous too huh? You don’t have to worry about Kagome, I’ll get her.” Inuyasha smirked; he wasn’t going to let a low life demon like that hurt Kagome. Hell, he was sure he could take it down; he’s taken down stronger demons in his human form. 

Sōta looked up at his mother as Inuyasha practically ran out the door, the wind whisking violently against the trees, only to see a sweet smile on her lips, she didn’t say anything and went back to the kitchen to continue to work on dinner. She was up to something.

~

Inuyasha growled at himself as he put the closed umbrella behind his head, squeezing it with his hands, walking was tedious. If only he was still a hanyō he would have been to Kagome’s school in no time. But no he was a slow human and for some reason, people look at you strangely if you run down the road. He sighed out, he guessed it was okay, it was only about a 20-minute walk and she still had about 10 minutes before she was able to leave; so by the time he gets there she should be ready to go. He narrowed his eyes, sad-like as he wondered if she would be angry when she sees him, would she even recognize him? He had a hard enough time recognizing himself in the mirror earlier. Would she prefer him like this? He looked up to the dark clouds, squinting his eyes; the rain was getting closer and so was the night. What will happen? Will he change back to a hanyō? Or will he…

Inuyasha sighed out as he tucked the umbrella under his arm before he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, the air was starting to get colder and the wind had luckily calmed down a bit, it was a constant breeze, it wasn’t as crazy as it was earlier. Then again, he was walking a way from the storm clouds so that’s probably why. 

“Oh wow, look at him. Do you think he’s a high school student?” One of the girls whispered as she pulled the other girl closer to her, pointing her chin towards Inuyasha’s direction as they walked closer to him. 

“Totally! He’s so cute...” The second girl practically drooled as she ran her eyes down his body. Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously, taking a step to the side deciding that he wanted to be on the other side of the sidewalk, away from that girl’s hungry gaze as he passed them. He looked over his shoulder, his eye twitching with uneasiness as he saw the girl still eyeing him and licking her lips as she walked backwards. 

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding once he was sure the girls were out of sight. Man, he had seen demons wanting to eat him before but nothing like that girl. He looked over his shoulder once more just in case they decided to jump him or something, but there was nothing. Now that he thought about it, those girls were wearing the same uniform that Kagome wore. He felt a shiver run down his spine as his eye twitched again, he wasn’t sure if he was going to leave alive. 

Luckily Inuyasha didn’t run into any more girls on the way to the school, unfortunately, it was when he got to the gates that he felt many eyes on him from both guys and girls. He didn’t like being stared at; he ignored it when he was a hanyō, at least he was used to being strange but right now he was supposedly human, he didn’t have his canine ears so there shouldn’t be a reason why these people would be staring at him so much. Maybe he looked out of place, he looked at his clothes and then the humans. The boys were wearing a black uniform with short hair, where he, on the other hand, was wearing a black jacket, a brown shirt and some jeans with his long hair pulled back in a man-bun. Perhaps that’s why the guys were staring at him but it didn’t explain why the girls were looking at him like he was a piece of meat. 

A blush spread on Inuyasha’s face with a vengeance as more girls started whispering to each other as they walked past him, sending him the same hungry stares as that girl from earlier. He leaned his back against the gate, averting his eyes from them. He heard them giggle as the words “cute” and “shy” slipped off their lips.   
His eyebrow twitched with annoyance as their whispers continued and more girls started coming out to take a peek at him. What the hell! He thought these clothes were supposed to make him blend in, not make more people stare at him. He wasn’t even doing anything he was just standing here waiting for Kagome to get out of her damn class. He saw more gather close by, waving for more girls to come take a look at him. He crossed his arms over his chest; trying to fight off the blush from the attention he was getting and started to fidget his index finger against his arm. His eye twitched as he tried to keep himself calm; he could feel himself starting to get agitated as he was clearly becoming uncomfortable with all the stares; where the fuck is that damn Kagome. 

“Oi! What the hell are you looking at!” He yelled out as he pointed the umbrella at the crowd of people, feeling his mind finally snap, narrowing his eyes at everyone with a growl on his lips. Some of the girls blushed and squealed as they lost their minds, believing that he noticed them, totally ignoring how pissed off he was. 

“A hot guy with a bad temper. An American maybe?” One of the girls whispered, fanning herself as Inuyasha hastily walked passed the group that was now gathering, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks as he entered the courtyard. He NEEDED to find Kagome, the quicker he found her the quicker they can get out of this hellhole. All he wanted to do was go back to the shrine and just wait for the night to come so that he can turn back to his normal self and cross the well. Hell, he’ll even take one of the shards with him if it meant that he could cross the well faster, he wasn’t sure how much he can handle this new world. 

He scanned his eyes across the courtyard, trying to look through the sea of girls who were wearing the same uniform as Kagome; hell, most of them even had the same color hair as her too. Fuck, he felt himself starting to get agitated again, this would be much easier if he had his sensitive nose; he would be able to pick her out from any crowd. He paused at the thought; he had always found her by her smell, never by her looks didn’t he? What exactly did Kagome look like? Kikyō maybe, she is her reincarnation after all. No. He shook his head; she didn’t like it when he talked like this. She didn’t like to be compared to Kikyō. Inuyasha took in a deep breath when his eyes caught sight of a large tree that reminded him of the Goshinboku. In the beginning, he mistook Kagome for Kikyō, the two smelled and looked very similar, but now… Kagome is Kagome, there’s no replacement for her. Her eyes for one, they held such a pretty blue; it reminded him of the sky; perhaps that’s why he found himself getting lost in them so much. He looked up to the dark sky; getting lost once again until he felt a drop of water hit his cheek. He blinked, looking down as he opened his palm to the sky as he felt more drops. Rain. 

Inuyasha walked through the trees, getting lost as he watched the wind dance with the leaves. He ran his hand down one of the trunks as he wondered if he came back to this spot in his era would he see these same trees. Maybe they were too young? They didn’t seem big enough to be over 500 years old, not like the Goshinboku at the shrine that was even older than that. How crazy it was that he was in the future, it was unheard of, him, a Hanyō at that, crossing to the future. What was it all for? What was the purpose? He had crossed to the future hundreds of times before but for some reason, he was forced to be a human this time. Why? 

“Kagome…” Slipped off his lips as he looked up to the leaves. Was he supposed to learn something about himself as a human? Did it involve Kagome somehow? He saw a flash of green in his peripheral, breaking him from his trance as his eyes followed it. He turned his head as he watched the figure walk into the clearing. His body jolted as he saw her, a smile tugging at his lips; Kagome. 

“Hey, Kag-“ Inuyasha’s eyes widen as his smile dropped when he saw a boy with short brown hair run up to Kagome, he seemed to be out of breath. Inuyasha stepped behind a tree closest to his right, pressing his back against the trunk, turning his head just enough that he could peek out from it. He clenched his hold on the umbrella as he watched the guy get too close for his liking to Kagome. He was asking her something. Wait; did he just touch her hand? Inuyasha jerked around, trying to get a better look because his mind MUST be playing tricks on him. He dug his fingers into the bark as he felt possessiveness seep through his body as he stared at their join hands. 

“What the hell is this!” He growled to himself as he felt his cheeks get hot, not from embarrassment but from frustration. How could she let this guy touch her hand for that long? A second was too long in his book, but here she was letting him hold her hand for like a minute. However, a victorious smirk soon spread on Inuyasha’s lips as he saw Kagome pat the boy’s hand lightly with the same kind smile that she would give Koga as she slowly pulled her hand from his grasp. His ears would have twitched like crazy if he had them as he watched a blush spread on the boy’s cheeks; putting one of his hands on the back of his head as he smiled at Kagome’s words. This caused Inuyasha’s eye to twitch with irritation. What could she be saying to make that guy blush like that? This was going on for too long, he should just go up there and tell that guy to fuck off, he thought as he shoved his back against the trunk. He decided that he had enough and couldn’t watch this anymore as he crossed his arms.

He closed his eyes, sighing out. This is annoying, how much longer was he going to have to wait until they were done. He was so pissed off at his own thoughts that he didn’t even notice that the rain was coming down until he felt his hair start to get heavy. He opened his eyes, staring up at the sky; he was transfixed, the sky always had this effect on him rain or shine. He was so lost in the thought that he didn’t notice Kagome walking past him until he was looking at her back, her wet hair stuck to her shoulders. He felt a blush burn on his cheeks as he noticed the pink outline of her bra strap against her soaked shirt on her back, how her skirt was hugging her hips a bit too nicely. He gasped as he caught himself looking and turned his head, looking back at where she was standing before with the boy, but he was also gone. Inuyasha suddenly started to feel agitated again as he remembered how that boy was touching her hand, before he realized what he was doing he was rushing up to Kagome; reaching out to her. 

Kagome felt something yank her arm, causing her to shut her eyes tightly as she lost her balance for a second. It was rough, she was sure if they had pulled any harder than they would have pulled it right out of the socket. This caused her to panic, Hōjō was gone and Inuyasha wasn’t here to save her, she was alone. 

“Don’t you touch me!” Kagome yelled as she dug her heels into the dirt, pulling her arm into her body, trying to break free from whoever had grabbed her. She stumbled back a bit due to the wet ground but wasn’t able to free herself; instead, she was yanked more towards the culprit. She felt his grip on her tighten as he tried to prevent her from fighting him. How could this be happening? Was someone seriously trying to grab her at school? No way she would let that happen, she’s learned a thing or two from Sango on how to not let people keep their hold on her so easily. She yanked back against him, trying to gain any ground but was yanked back with just as much force if not more until her body slammed against his chest. 

“Stop it!” She heard him growl into her ear, her free hand came down hard and fast. However, it was stopped in midair as she felt him grab her wrist, yanking her hand down. She snapped her eyes open with shock; her eyes caught a glimpse of purple from the beads around the culprit’s neck. Her eyes widen when she looked from the beads to his eyes, brown. She jerked back with a gasp, finally breaking free from his grip, a blush creeping on her cheeks as she took in his features. He was looking at her annoyed, his chin turned up, narrowing his eyes down at her. His bangs were plastered against his forehead; the two long black locks on the side of his face stuck to his cheeks and neck from the rain. She could see that the rest of his hair was pulled back, giving him the illusion of short hair. She ran her eyes down his face to his chest, taking another step back. She knew of only one person who wore that necklace…he…is this really…

“Inu..Yasha..?” Her eyes widen as his name slipped off her lips.


	5. School Yard

“Inu…Yasha? Is that really you?” Kagome whispered out as she took a step closer to him, trying to take in all his features. She watched him nod his head looking annoyed with her question. Her eyes ran over him, looking at how his clothes were sticking to his body from the rain, outlining the toned muscle that hid underneath. She felt a blush spread on her cheeks when she caught her eyes lingering too long on him. Wow, this was the first time she has ever seen him in clothes from her world and it made him look normal, almost human to the point where even his white hair wasn’t noticeable.

Hair…

White hair…

No…Black...

Hair…

“BLACK?! WHY ARE YOU IN HUMAN FORM?!” Kagome yelled out as she yanked the lock of black hair that hung on the side of his face towards her body, bringing her face close to his as she stared at him, looking into his brown eyes. How is this possible? It wasn’t even night, it was day and the new moon had already passed so why was he in his human form?! What happened?

“Ow! Watch the hair!” Inuyasha barked at her, a deep red blush spreading on his cheeks as he looked from her eyes to her lips, his mind panicking on how close her face was to his. He needed to do something, anything so he could get out of this. So he went with his default, being a jerk.

Get off my back! Besides! You act like you never seen me in my human form…” Inuyasha growled at her a bit too harshly for his liking as he felt his face flushed, jerking his chin up. He grabbed both her wrists roughly, forcing her to release her grip on his hair. He knew she was going to freak out on him, but why did she have to go and be all violent.

“Why are you trying to pick a fight with me! The last time I check you only turn human at night! Does it look like night to you?” Kagome’s agitation seeped out with her sharp-tongue as she yanked him close to her again by his necklace, her nose just inches from his. Why did he always have to be like this? God, he is so stubborn, why couldn’t he just tell her what happen.

“Well maybe if you shut up for once I’ll tell you!” Inuyasha growled, feeling himself getting more pissed off as he placed both his hands on her cheeks, towering over her, unconsciously pushing his face closer to hers until their noses brushed. They both froze, not even daring to breathe as their eyes locked until they both jerked back at the same time, averting their eyes while their faces became red as they were certain their hearts were going to burst from their chest from how fast they were beating. 

What the hell was that? Damn, these human feelings are fucking confusing, Inuyasha thought to himself as he looked up to the sky, the rain dripping on his face as he tried to control his heart rate. He took a deep breath before he brought his eyes to look at her again. Kagome’s shirt was completely soaked, leaving almost nothing to the imagination as he saw the transparent cloth hug around her breast, displaying the pink undergarment there.

“Here, put this on before you catch a cold Kagome.” Inuyasha whispered with a blush on his cheeks as he draped his black jacket over her shoulders. Hell, he was a Hanyō but he wasn’t a fucking monster, he wasn’t going to let her walk around like that so any guy with a brain could have lewd thoughts about her. He felt himself blush more at his agitation. Wait what was he saying? No, he shook his head, that’s not why he gave it to her. He wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t get sick. Yes, that’s right, totally not the thought of another guy thinking about her like that was the reason why he was starting to feel pissed off again.

“Oh, thank you.” Kagome was taken aback by his sudden mood change, he was so mad at her just a second ago but now here he was being considerate of her, worrying about her wellbeing. But shouldn't he be more worried about himself, he was a human right now and here he was throwing it around like it's nothing new. Was he putting on a front so he wouldn't worry her? Inuyasha is kind, isn’t he? She blushed as she pushed her arms through the sleeves, bringing the collar up to her face; it smelled like him. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of his scent; it was so nice and seemed to calm her down.

Kagome’s thoughts were broken when she heard Inuyasha move, she opened her eyes to see him crouched down in the mud, looking over his shoulder at her. She felt her face become red when she finally realized what he was doing.

“What are you doing?!” Kagome’s voice squeaked as her eyes widened, looking around to see if any of her classmates were watching. Was he for real? Was he really planning on carrying her all the way home? In the rain of all things!

“What the hell does it look like I’m doing?” He barked at her with a hint of annoyance in his voice as he stood up, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He cocked his head to the side as he started to become agitated again, he didn’t understand what the big deal was, he carried her all the time back home.

What? No!” She yelped.

“What’s your problem? Just cuz I’m not a hanyō right now doesn’t mean I’m a weak human like you” Inuyasha pointed at her, his voice agitated as he looked up and down her body. Why was she pissed at him?

“I said no.” She gave him a stern look, her eyes piercing his very soul like a master disappointed with the disobedience of their canine. This caused a shiver to run down his spine as he felt like he was treading in dangerous territory; she wouldn’t dare sit him as a human would she?

“Keh! W-whatever, let’s just go before the rain comes down harder.” Inuyasha growled at her as he snatched her hand, tugging her along with him towards the school gates. The sooner they get out of this hellhole and get home the better, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep his cool and the last thing he wanted was for her to sit him.

“Inu-” Kagome squeaked, her heart pounding hard in her chest, her face blushed as she stared at their joint hands. She was so flustered that she had to make sure she didn’t trip into him as he pulled her along. Was this for real? Inuyasha had never held her hand and walked with her like this, and in public of all things! This was totally out of his character but then again he wasn’t really himself at the moment, right? No, that’s not true…just because his appearance changed a bit doesn’t mean he wasn’t the same rude, crude, ill-tempered scoundrel that she fell in love with.

“Huh?” Inuyasha stopped, turning around to see that Kagome was holding the stick over his head, what did her mother call it again? An umbrella. Kagome must have found it when he shoved it in the jacket pocket earlier. The rain beating against the material reminded him of those long nights they spend together when they had to take shelter in an abandoned shack from the rain. He looked at Kagome; her face red as she pulled his hand closer to her, forcing him to take a step towards her until they were both under it.

“I don’t need that!” Inuyasha barked at her, the blush consuming his face with a vengeance when he realized how close they were to each other and that she was still holding onto his hand. Kagome puffed up her cheeks as she covered his mouth with her other hand; taking him by surprise as he automatically grabbed her wrist that was over his mouth. He grabbed her harder than he wanted too but it came second nature to be on the defense and he wasn’t used to people just touching him, let alone Kagome. However, it seems like she didn’t care or noticed that he grabbed her hand because she never took her eyes off of him, which was making him more nervous as he felt the blush return. She startled him when she pulled him closer to her with her other hand, forcing his lips to push into her palm. She was becoming agitated again with his stubbornness.

“Oh be quiet, listen, you’re human now, meaning if you don’t cover up from the rain you’ll have just the same chance as me to get sick too.” She warned him, watching him for a bit, trying to determine if he was going to retaliate before she let her hand fall from his lips. She could see his right eye twitch as she looped her arm around his, snuggling as close as she could into his side so that the umbrella covered them both.

They walked in an awkward silence, hearing nothing but the sound of the rain hitting the umbrella as they stole glances at each other without the other noticing. Inuyasha scratched his head, trying to ignore how Kagome’s body felt like rubbing up against his side, how it felt like she fit just perfectly against him like she was meant to be there. He tensed his body at the thought, shaking his head. No, don’t think like that. He glanced down at her; she kept her face forward and was walking in unison with him. He jerked his face forward when he felt the blush on his face grow darker when her arm tightened around his.

“Listen, I promise that I will explain everything to you when we get back home.” He kept his face forward as he muttered; too nervous to look at her as he felt himself blush more from the increased contact.

“You swear?” Kagome questioned him as she leaned her head on his arm, not bothering to look up at him. Because she knew the moment she did she would be lost in his eyes; they might not be the amber that she loved but they were still his.

“Every damn day.” Inuyasha whispered with a smirk as he pulled her a bit closer to him, taking the umbrella from her so she wouldn’t have to hold it the whole way home.

“That's not what I mean.” Kagome pouted at him with a hint of annoyance as she playfully bumped into him. 

He had a comeback for just about anything, didn’t he? 

That dork.

-

“Oh, my.” Mrs. Higurashi held her hand in front of her mouth as she tried to suppress a laugh as she looked at the two soaked blushing teens at the doorway. It seems like her plan didn’t go exactly as planned because she didn’t take into account that the storm was going to get even worse than earlier. But it looked like the storm might have worked in her favor as she saw that her daughter was now wearing the same jacket that she gave Inuyasha earlier. This caused Mrs. Higurashi to give them a big smile as she greeted them at the door.

“Kagome dear, how about you go ahead and take a bath before you get sick. I’ve already got it all ready for you.” She gave her daughter a sweet smile as she handed her a towel.

“Thanks, mama.” Kagome gave her mother a huge smile and a kiss on the cheek as she ran up the stairs to enjoy her hot bath.

“Inuyasha dear, you-” Mrs. Higurashi paused as she watched him. Inuyasha had a pensive look on his face as he stared at his reflection in the mirror by the door. She looked out towards the window; dusk was approaching fast and in just an hour or two they will all know if he will be able to change back. He must be worried, she wondered what he would do if he couldn’t change back. She sighed out with a smile as she reached for the bag they left earlier by the door, pulling out some clothes for him. She placed her hand on his shoulder causing Inuyasha to turn around to look at her.

“Here, you should get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold.” She smiled at him as she handed him a red t-shirt and black sweatpants that they bought earlier that day.

When Inuyasha came out of the bathroom, he saw Mrs. Higurashi motion him to sit on the ground in front of her as she took a seat on the couch. Inuyasha sat in front of her again like he did earlier today.

“We need to make sure that we get your hair dry or -oh sounds like you already caught one.” She giggled at Inuyasha’s sneeze while she untied his bun, letting the long locks fall into a towel she had in her hands. She rubbed the towel against his head, making sure to get at least the top of his head dry. The rest of his hair will dry once she brushes through it.

“W-wait you don’t-“ Inuyasha’s face burned a crimson red as he sat there obediently knowing full well that there was no winning against this woman. Her hands had some strange power over him, always causing him to relax the moment her fingers brush through his hair; giving him a familiar calming feeling that his own mother would give him.

“You know when Kagome was just a child, she would give that mirror the same look. I think she got it from her father because sometimes he would look at his reflection the same way. Even though she was only six years old she was already wondering what her purpose in life was.” Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at her, he took in a deep breath when he saw her, she was smiling as she spoke about him, in that moment she reminded him so much of his own mother when she would tell him about his father, their unconditional love they shared for each other.

“Has Kagome ever told you about her father?” She asked as she began to brush through his hair and just like earlier the knots seemed to just fall away, giving her no resistance at all.

“No.” Inuyasha was hesitant before he answered, shaking his head, why is she telling him all of this?

“I’m not surprised, she was really young when he died, but that’s a story that can wait for another time.” She gave him a sad smile as she brushed through his hair one last time before she started splitting it into three equal sections. 

“You know you remind me of him quite a bit. He had long black hair and quite the temper like you if anyone crossed him. But he was also gentle when he wanted to be; he was misunderstood too for the way he looked, being labeled as the delinquent at school. But he didn’t let that stop him. He even told me after we started dating that he didn’t regret that part in his life because even though it was difficult for him he was able to meet me through it.” She held the right section in her right hand, the left section in her left, and the middle section between her thumb and another finger on her right. She crossed the right section over the middle section, then repeat this with the left section, smoothing his hair down as she went. Her smile grew as she lost herself in the memory.

She remembered it was the beginning of senior year of high school when she decided to stop hiding the red string of fate that tied them together. She was walking to the front gate to head home, taking the back way because it was longer and the trees were beautiful, that’s when she saw him, Higurashi Shishido from class 2-C. She had known who he was since he started coming to this school two years ago, and how could she not since the rumors about him spread like wildfire the moment he transferred here. He was the delinquent with the scary face that refuses to cut his hair; instead he pulled it back in a low ponytail, who comes to school late, who came with a loose necktie, who rips the white sleeves off his uniform, wearing a black jacket instead; the student that the boys hated and girls feared and lusted after, that’s what she heard. But she learned last year that he came to school late because he helped his parents at their shrine, that he wore that jacket to hide the sleeves he removed from his uniform because they would already be torn from the fights that he didn’t start but would finish.That is necktie would be lose because he was always running to catch the next bus. 

And here he was in his second fight that day; with Watanabe Eiji from class 5-A who might as well be double his size, had him trapped against the chain-link fence behind the school.

“It's not my fault she looked at me and it's not your fault you can’t compare.” This sassy remarked earned him a punch to the jaw as he was knocked back against the fence. He could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth as he spat some out, pushing himself up from the fence.

“Are we through with this? Because I do insist that nothing happened, this time.” Shishido wiped the blood from his lip as he gave him a smirk at the last remark. A smirk that sent chills down anyone’s spine that was unfortunate enough to be in its path.

“He said nothing happened Watanabe.” Kimura walked up to them, her signature pigtails swaying at her waist as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked between the two; trying to assess the situation. It seemed like he was getting in a fight at least once a day since two years ago. She didn’t really understand, he usually kept to himself at school so why all these guys seemed to have it out for him she didn’t know why. 

“Uesaka?” They both asked in unison, looking at her with wide eyes, shocked that she would put herself in this type of situation. Shishido felt a small blush grow on his cheeks as he looked at her; Uesaka Kimura from class 3-B. Kimura was quite popular at school even though she mostly kept to herself, due to her kindness and beauty, she was also a down to earth type of girl, not letting her popularity go to her head. She was the only person who would wave and flash a smile at him every time she saw him, resulting in Shishido to develop feelings for her. So seeing her like this, assertive, was quite the shock for him.

“That’s right, listen to the lady. Nothing happened, but if you insist then the next time something just might.” Shishido gave him a wink with a cocky smile as he pushed off the fence. Kimura was taken aback from his cockiness; she knew he meant nothing by it, he was just trying to get under that Watanabe's skin, but come on, his lip was literally bleeding down his chin and his jaw was already starting to bruise.

“You better watch your back Higurashi!” Watanabe warned as he pushed him against the fence one last time, stomping away until he stopped next to Kimura. He snatched her arm hard, jerking her so that she was forced to face him. She pulled her arm instinctively into her body, feeling a bolt of panic shoot through her as she tried to break free from his hold on her.

“You shouldn’t get involved with someone like him, you don’t want to go and ruin that good girl reputation of yours, do you Kimu-.” His words came out lewder than an actual warning, she felt her skin crawl when she saw him drag his fingers through one of her pigtails; implying that she would become spoiled for anyone else if she stayed by Higurashi. However, he wasn’t able to finish his lewd comment before she felt someone rip her arm out of his hold and step in front of her.

“So you’re “that” kind of guy. You’re starting to piss me off, I better make sure you don’t make it a habit to grab women however you please.” Shishido had stepped between them and grabbed Watanabe by his shirt, taking a step away from her as he pulled him close to his face, staring him down, his smirk replaced with disgust. Kimura's eyes widen when she caught sight of his face; there it was, the scary look she heard so much about, but it wasn’t scary to her because this time he was using it to protect her. Kimura put her hand on his back, forcing him to pause, he could feel the irritation growing on his face; he knew what she was doing, She didn’t want him to get in trouble, even it was in self-defense for her.

“You should get out of here before I really get mad.” Shishido shoved him forward; away from both of them as he glared at him. Watanabe looked like he was about to say something until he huffed, kicking the dirt as he stormed off into the school; no doubt going to inform the sensei that he was threatened by Higurashi.

“God, I can’t believe we have guys like that at this school.” Shishido spat out with disgust as he picked up his bag. However, he cracked out a playful smile once he saw Kimura brush out her one of her pigtails with frustration in her eyes; like she was trying to get grass out of her hair.

“Hey, thanks, I wouldn’t know what I would have done if you didn’t come by.” He muttered out as he scratched the back of his head, trying to control the blush on his face. What the heck is wrong with him? He was supposed to be the cool guy but here he was losing his composure in front of Kimura.

“Oh you’re welcome, I don’t like it when people blindly blame others for problems that weren’t even there.” Kimura crossed her arms over her chest, pouting her lips with annoyance as she watched where Watanabe left. 

“Are you sure they weren’t true? You better watch out, unless you’re not afraid to be tainted-” His smirk dropped, his eyes widen as the blush on his face grew when he saw her close in on him, placing her hands on his shoulders, getting on her tiptoes as she brought her lips just inches to his.

“Wai-K-ki-“ He stuttered out, he could feel his brain going into overdrive as his body refused to function. What? Here? Now? What was she doing? They never did this in public, let alone at school. Doesn’t she know what will happen if she does this, with him, here? There was no way he could deny her, she meant too much to him and he would be lying if he didn’t want it too. But she will be bullied if anyone found out about “them”.

“I’m not afraid of you, I like you. Oh, and by the way Shishido, you better get that jaw of yours looked at before it swells up anymore.” She whispered as she pulled back, a giggle escaping her lips as she placed her hands behind her back as she started walking back to the front gate, looking over her shoulder at him, giving him a big smile. He brought his hand up to his jaw at her comment, the blush consuming his face as he stared at her.

“Ues- Kimura! Why do you bother with me!” He blurted out without really thinking about how it sounded. He could feel his cool guy demeanor fade when he felt the blush grow deeper as he realized that he just yelled at her, coming out more as a demand than a question.

“I mean…he’s right you know, I will only cause more trouble for you.” He muttered as he averted his eyes from her. He could feel himself panic when she didn’t say anything, did she hear him? He brought his eyes up to look at her; she was just staring at him, playing with one of her pigtails, smiling.

You don’t want to go and ruin that good girl reputation of yours.

“I’m with you by choice, even if you don’t want people to know because you’re afraid of what they will say. Have lunch with me tomorrow Shishido, I’ll bring your favorite.” Kimura gave him a sweet smile as she waved him bye, leaving before he could say anything else; she could care less of what people thought about her. It was her life and so what if she wanted to include him in it. He wasn’t a bad guy, just misunderstood and she wanted people to give him a chance to see that he wasn't the terrible person some made him out to be.

-

“Shishido, you will be late for school if you don’t leave soon!” He smiled as he shook his head, placing the last remaining box on the shelf before he jumped down from the stepped. He wondered why he even bothered going to school, he usually got sent home early anyway because someone was always trying to pick a fight with him the moment he steps on the school grounds.

He put on his jacket and grabbed his bag on his way out of the house, walking slower than he usually did because today was different and for once in his life, he was actually nervous to go to school because today is the day that Kimura wanted to have lunch with him, at school, school! He couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face as he thought about her. They had been secretly dating for over a year but he made her promise him to keep it a secret because he didn’t want her to be a victim of the rumors about him; he cared too much about her. He remembered how fast he fell for her, the girl who would wave at him every day regardless of what she heard about him, the girl that actually took the time to get to know him. But that smile quickly faded when he noticed a young woman with short hair who was wearing his school’s uniform standing in front of the Goshinboku, staring at it.

“Excuse me, can I help you with anything miss?” Shishido asked as he stopped beside her, taking in her features; she reminded him of someone. It was strange; they rarely have people come this early to the shrine and a student on top of that.

“Good morning Shishido, are you ready to go to school?” She turned to face him, giving him a sweet smile with a light blush on her cheeks. Shishido was startled, a blush creeping on his face as he looked at her suspiciously. Who was this girl and how did she know his name? She was wearing the uniform from his school so she must know him from school but no one would give him the time of day there to talk to him, except…

“Kimura.” Her name slipped off his lips before he realized what he was doing. He covered his mouth with his hand, the blush on his face growing. How embarrassing; calling a stranger by the name of your girlfriend. However, what sent him over the edge with embarrassment was that the girl nodded her head at the name. What?! This girl also named Kimura, how was that possible?! Wait, no… could this be? Now that he looked at her more he could see it, it was the same smile she gave him the day before.

“Kimura! Why are yo- your hair!” He blurted out, that’s why he had trouble recognizing her because her hair was cut a ragged boy-short like it was done by an amateur; just barely passing her chin.

“Do you think it’s cute?” She asked as she tucked it behind her ear, her face red. She remembered how nervous was she was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom with a pair of scissors; she was afraid that he wasn’t going to like it. But she felt like it was something she had to do, she couldn’t stand looking at it after that guy ran his fingers through it, accusing her of being easy.

“I do, it's really cute on you but…you know if you come to school with me like that, there's not going to be just rumors about me but you now.” Shishido whispered as he ran his finger through it. He dropped his hand and averted his eyes, looking at the Goshinboku as he continued to speak. This was bad, she would definitely get dragged into his crap now and the last thing he wanted was for her to get bullied because of him.

“Let them, rumors don’t make the person I am and never will because I know who I am and if it does, I guess I’m tainted then because I want to be with you.” Shishido jerked his face to look at her when he felt her grab his hand; lacing her fingers with his, his eyes widen with a blush on his cheeks when he saw her; she was smiling as she watched the Goshinboku. He took in a deep breath and smiled as he turned his attention back to the Goshinboku, she’s amazing, she didn’t have a care in the world, she knew exactly who she was and whom she wanted to be with and what others said wasn’t going to change that.

“He sounded like a good man. It would have been an honor to meet him.” Inuyasha’s words ripped her out of the memory as he looked over his shoulder at her, giving her a smile.

"He was." She answered with a smile on her lips as she finished braiding his hair as she looped the hair tie one last time.

“You know, Shishido would tell Kagome everytime he caught her looking pensive at her reflection that she was trying to find that person she was destined to save. And I believe that it took her so long to find that person was because they weren't of this time, I believe the person she was destined to save was you Inuyasha. So I wouldn’t worry too much about the future and enjoy the now because it might just help you find the answer you are looking for.” Mrs. Higurashi patted the top of his head. Inuyasha froze, his eyes widened at her words. He could feel his face becoming hot at the thought as he looked up at the stairs towards her room.

Was Kagome born to save him?


End file.
